avatars

Lately, people on Twitter seem to be changing their avatar a lot lately. It’s been difficult for me, because I often scan tweets and only stop to read the ones next to an avatar I recognize. When somebody changes their avatar, I get to wondering who the person is unless I’ve managed to remember their Twitter handle. I interact with thousands of people per week. It’s a heck of a lot easier to memorize a picture than it is a name out of thousands of people.

I’ve come to realize that an avatar isn’t just an avatar. It’s a logo. Take Jolie O’Dell for example. I started following her on Twitter only because a few of my friends were. One day while searching for tech articles, I recognized Jolie’s familiar picture next to the title of the post. Instantly, there was a new connection I had with her. A connection I wouldn’t have otherwise noticed just by her name.

The ProBlogger, Darren Rowse is another person who comes to mind. His bald head and glasses makes his face a perfect logo for his business. I’ve grown a huge interest in his writing and my eye stops to read whenever I see his avatar.

So with all this in mind, I give my avatar recommendations if you’re looking to build relationships online.

Keep avatars consistent with every site you are on. Blogs, blog comments, Twitter, and Facebook. Keep ’em all the same.

Don’t change your avatar too often. Sure, it’s fun to change them, but people won’t have a chance to get to know your face if you change it every other day.

Get a Gravitar. Most sites use Gravitar to display avatars and it will help keep it consistent across different sites.

Smile! People like to see a happy things. I know I read more comments and tweets when the avatar next to them has a smiling face.